Shoe-cleaning machine



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' SHOE CLEANING MACHINE. APPucATloN FILED JULY 24,1917. RENEWED Nov. 21. |918.

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SHOE CLEANING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24,1917. RENEwED Nov. 21, 191e.

Patented June 24, 1919.

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0. HOSTAD.

SHOE CLEANING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED IuLY 24, |917. REIIEwED Nov. 21, 191s.

1,307,670. Patented June 24, 1919.

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0. HOSTAD.

SHOE CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JuLY 24,1917. RENEwI-:D Nov. 21. 1918.

1,307,670. Patented June 24,1919.

OLAF HOSTAD, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

SHOE-CLEANING MACHINE.

Application filed July/'24, 1917, Serial No. 182,518.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OLAF Hos'rAD, a citizen of 4the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements in Shoe-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved shoe cleaning machine and has as its primary object .to vprovide a device of this character which may be arranged adjacent the front door of a dwelling, a public building of other similar location and operable by a manually controlled motor so that. any person may, before entering thc dwelling or building. easily and quickly clean his slices of all foreign matter to thus prevent the carrying of dirt or disease germs into the dwelling or building.

The invention has as a further object to provide a device of the above described character which may be arranged beneath a porch floor having a. trap door opening therein with the device controlled by 'a eonveniently located push-button so that a person standing on the porch may project first one shoe and then the other through the trap door opening between the coacting brushes of the machine to be cleaned.

The invention has a still further object to rovide an arrangement employing rotatable brushes arranged to coact with oposit'e sides of a shoe and wherein the brushes will be yieldably mounted to thus compensate for the variations in width of different size shoes.

And the invention has a still further object to provide a construction wherein a 'disinfectant will be automatically applied to the cleaning brushes.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds and in the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of -the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the manner in which my improved devicemay be mounted beneath a porch floor and illustrating the arrangement of the complemental sets of cleaning brushes employed,

Fig. 2 is a plan view ticularly showing the manner of the machine parin which the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 24, 1919.

Renewed November 21, 191s. serieu No. 263,632.

brushes of each set are connected for simultaneous adjustment,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view particularly showing the mounting ot' the cleaning brushes,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the type of bracket employed for support-ing the outer ends of the tubular arms receiving the shafts for lthe cleaning brushes,

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view showing one of the brush supporting arms detached7 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view particularly illustrating the piping system employed for supplying antiseptic to the cleaning combs for the brushes of the device, and

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the slidabledoor of the housing for the machine and illustrating the rods employed for supporting the said door.

As previously intimated, my improved machine is preferably mounted beneath a porch floor adjacent the front door of a dwelling or building'and for convenience such a Hoor has been conventionally illustrated in the drawings at 10. A portion of this Hoor forms the upper side of a housing 11 for the machine. This housing may be of any approved character. Formed through the porch floor at a point substantially midway between the end walls of the housing is a door opening 12 normally closed by a suitable door 13.

Arranged within the housing are spaced vertical shafts or posts 14 connected at their lower extremities with the bottom wall otl the housing by socket plates 15 and at their upper extremities similar socket plates 16. Formed on the posts 14 are annular collars 17.. andinounted upon these collars are complemental brush supporting plates '18 which are preferably circular. Connected to the lower side of the said plates are beveled gears 19 secured to the said plates by a plurality of bolts or other suitable fastening devices 20 and mounted upon the upper sides of the plates are hubs 21 which are also secured by the saidl bolts. As particularly shown in IFig. 3 of the drawings, the posts 14 eX- tend freely through the plates 18. beveled gears 19 and hubs 21 and interposed between the said beveled gears and collars 17 are thrust bearings 22' of approved design,

to the porch floor by thereof will move the brush coacting with the said Similar thrust bearings 23 are also interposed between the upper ends of the hubs 21 and the socket plates 16. These thrust .bearings of the respective posts will acgage with fiat faces 26 formed on the outer extremities of the arms 24 for rigidly holding the said arms against rotation to become disconnected from the hubs 21. Slidably titted within thearms 24 are a plurality of brushcarrying shafts 27 projectlng radially with respect to the plates18. The shaftsof the respective plates carry, at their outer ends, complemental sets of brushes, the sets of brushes being, for convenience, indicated at 28 and 29 respectively. These brushes each includev a suitable brush head 30 to which the shaft carrying the brush is fixed with the bristles of the brush head extending outwardly therefrom away froln the shaft. Fitted in the inner extremities of the arms 24 and bearing between the hubs 21 and the inner ends of the shafts 27 are springs 31 of approved design acting upon the shafts for normally urging the brushes outwardly with respect to the supporting plates 18.

Mounted upon the supporting plates 18l beneath the inner extremities of the arms 24 thereof are a plurality'of,tangentially arranged brush coupling shafts 32. These shafts are rotatably supported at their extremities by suitable bearings 33 upstanding from the said plates and keyed or otherwise secured to the ends of the said shafts are coacting beveled. gears 34 so that when one shaft of either plate is rotated, the other shafts of the said plate will also be rotated. Mounted upon the shafts 32 at points substantially midway between the ends thereof are, as particularly shown in Fig. 3, pinions 35 provided with blanksz36. These p-inions project freely through suitable slots 37 in the lower sides of the arms 24 at their outer extremities and engage with racks 38 upon the lower sides of the brush carrying arms 27. At their inner ends the racks 38 are formed with blanks 39. The pinions 35 are each so proportioned that one revolution carrying shaft pinion its full throw [with the 'blank 39 ofthe said shaft adapted 'fto enga e with the blank 36 of the pinion l'for hol ing. the shaft against outward dis-` mon plane with corresponding pairs ofy brushes of the said sets adapted to clos/ely approach each other beneath'the trap door opening 12 in the porch floor 10.

Mounted within the housing 11 and arranged in alinement with the posts 14 are .spaced upstanding bearing. brackets 40 and journaled between these brackets is a cylindrical brush 41 of approved character which extends horizontally beneath the ltrap door opening 12 in the porch floor 10 and touchesl the plane of rotary movementl of the complemental sets of brushes 28 and 29. Fixed upon the ends of the shaft for the brush 41 are :beveled pinions 42 and 43 respectively meshing with the beveled gears-19y of the brush supporting plates 18 and connecting the said plates for simultaneous rotary movement. As a means for driving my improved machine, I preferably employ an electric motor such as conventionally illustrated at 44. This motor is mounted upon the bottom wall of the housing 11 and the drive shaft thereof is equipped with a beveled pinion 45 meshing with the pinion 43; of the shaft of the brush 41. Consequently, this motor will simultaneously rotate the brush 41 and, as will vbe readily understood, also siiiiultaneously rotate the comple-mental sets brushes 28 and 29. The motor`4-4 may be wlred to receive current from any suitable' source of electrical energy and interposed in the circuit -of the said motor is a suitable -switch 46 conveniently` located to the door opening .12, such as upon the front door frame of the dwelling or building equipped with my improved device. Accordingly, a

person standing upon the porch floor 10 may' by opening the door 13 project first one shoe and' then the other, through thc Adoor opening 12 with the sole of the shoe in Contact with the brush 41. By operating the switch 46, the brushes of the machine will then be rotated as previously desi'ribed with the brush 41 acting to clean the sole of the shoe andv with the complemental sets of brushes 28 and 29 acting to clean. the sides of the shoe. The shoes may thus be readily freed of any dirt before the personenters the dwelling or buildin and in this connection attention is directed n l complemental sets lof brushes 28 and 29 will automatically adjust themselves to the .varying width of different size shoes so that a narrow shoe may be cleaned with the same to the fact thatv the facility as a wide shoe; Furthermore, by

for withstanding the shock of contact'wth g the shoe and accordingly tending to permit of a uniform rotary movement of the said brushes;

Connected to the end walls of the housing 11 to contact with the compleinental sets of brushes 28 and 29 are cleaning combs 47 the teeth of which are arranged tov pass over and through the bristles of the said brushes -for cleaning the said brushes as they are revolved. Connected to the bott-om wall of the housing in front of the horizontal brush 41 are spaced upstanding brackets 48 between the upper extremities of which is mounted a cleaning comb 49l similar to the cleaning combs 47. The teeth of the comb 49 are arranged to pass through the bristles of the 'brush 41 for cleaning the said brush as it is rotated,

Leading from a suitable disinfectant supply tank preferably arranged Within the building or dwelling equipped with the presen-t invention, is a pipe 50 connected with a valve 51 mounted within the housing 1l adjacent the outer side of the door opening 12. The valve 51 is provided with a stein 52 rotatable for closing 'the said valve and mounted upon the said stem is a disk 53 from 'which projects spaced pins 54 and 55. Leading from opposite sides of the i-alve along the adjacent side wall of the housing are pipes 56 havingl angularly disposed and upwardly inclined portions 57 connected with the end walls of the housing and termi-` nating at points above the cleaning combs 47. Connected to the outer terminal of the said pipes are spreaders 58. These spreaders are preferably in the nature of brushes and are arranged above the teeth of the cleaning combs to engage with, the uppermost of the said teeth. Extending downwardly from the valve 51 is a pipe 59 which is ycarried transversely across the bottom wall of the. housing and thence provided with an upstanding terminal portion arranged at the outer side of the cleaning comb 49. Connected to the upper extremity of the said terminal portion of'this pipe is aspreader 61 similar tothe spreaders 58 and' arranged vto contact with the uppermost of the teeth of the said comb.

Connected to the lower side'of the door 13 toeXtend transversely thereof, are spaced Supporting rods 62. These supporting rods are offset at their inner extremities so that the free ends of the said rods are arranged to move beneath the floor 10 and sldably receiving the said rods are suitable loops 63 connected to theoor. The door 13 will thus be slidably supported by the said rods and connected to the lower side of the door to engage the side edges of the door opening l2, are inwardly extending blocks G4 adapte'd to direct the door in its uowement. Connected to the door 13 to project inwardly therefrom is a substantially V shaped bracket 65. This .bracket is arranged to cooperate vvith the pins 54 and 55 of the valve disk Consequently, when the door is moved to open position, the said bracket will be caused to engage the pin 54 of the valve disk for rotating the said disk and consequently opening the valve 51. Therefore, whenthe device is in use and the door-"is open, disinfectant will automatically be permitted to flow from the supply tank' thereforM to the spreaders 58 and 61 which will act to distribute the said disinfectant to the cleaning combs 47 and 49;v The disinfectant will thus be deposited directly upon the brushes of the machine as the said brushes are rotated, whence the said disinfectantl will the-n be carried to the shoebeing cleaned for preventing the carrying ofgdisease germs thereon into the building or dwelling.. Upon the closing of the door 13 the bracket 65 will be moved to engage the pin 55 of the valve disk for consequently rotating the said disk and closing thevalve A51. The flow of: the disinfectant tofthe cleaning combs-for the brushes dWill thus be shut ofi innnediately at the time the ,door l13 of the "housing of the machine is closed. In this connection, it will be observed that the disinfectant within the portions 57 of the pipes 56 will, owing to the inclination of the said Vportions of the pipes, cease to flow immediately at the time the How of disinfectant is shut off at the valve 51. In like manner, the disinfectant within the upstanding terminal portion 60 of the pipe 59will cease to flow immediately upon the closing of the valve. This arrangement therefore provides a construction whereby waste of the disinfectant will be prevented.

It will therefore be seen thatl provide a particularly efficient construction for the purposes set forth and whileI have indicated that the machine is preferably mounted beneath the"porch floor of a building still. I do 'not Wish to be limited to this construction as it will be seen that the device may be otherwise located-at any place found convenient.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including spaced sup-porting posts, brush carrying plates rotatably mounted thereon, complemental brushes carried by the said plates and rotatable in acommon plane by the said plates, a rotatable shaft mounted below the-plane of movement ofthegs'aid first mentioned brushes and connecting: the said plates for simultaneous movement, and a brush mounted upon the said shaft to rotate. therewith and vtouching vthe said y plane.

2. A device of the character described including spaced supporting posts, brush carrying plates mounted thereon, a plurality of tubular radial arms carried by the said- I spective plrates being connected for simultaneous rotation, pinions carried by the saidv tangential shafts and engaging the said first mentioned shafts for connecting the brushes of each set for snnultaneous sliding movement, and means connecting the said plates for simultaneous rotation.

8. A device of the character described including supporting posts, brush carrying plates rotatably mounted thereon, beveled gears carried -by the said plates, complemental brushes mounted upon the plates to beu'otatcal in a common vplane thereby, a horizontal brush mounted to rotate below the plane of movement of said first nientioned brushes and touch the said plane, and pinions carried by the shaft of said last mentioned brush and engaging the said gears for connecting the said plates for simultaneous rotation.

4. A device of the character described including a housing, a door normally closing the housing, com'plemental cleaning brushes arranged Within the'housing and rotatable beneath the said door, means extending within the housing for supplying a disinfectant to the said brushes, and means upon the d-oor to coperate with said first mentioned means for controlling the flow of the disinfectant.

5. A device of the character described including a housing, Ia door normally closing the housing, complemental cleaning brushes rotatable within the housing beneath the said door, pipes extending within the housing for supplying a disinfectant to the said brushes, a valve for closing the said pipes, and means carried by the door to ooperate with said Valve for opening or closing the valve. upon a corresponding movement of the door.

6. A device of the character described including a housing, a door normally closing Vmovement of the Said first Amovement of the door.

7. A device of the character described in` cluding a housing, a door therefor, guide rods carried by the door and operatively connected with the housing for slidably sulpporting thedoor to normally close the housing, a cleaning brush rotatable within the housing beneath the saidy door, means eX- tending within the housing for supplying a ,disinfectant to the said brush, and means -upon the door to coperate with said lirst mentioned means for controlling the flow of the disinfectant.

8.-A device of thecharacter .described including a housing, a door normally closing the housing, a cleaning brush rota-table within the housing 'beneath the said door, a pipe extending within the housing for supplying a disinfectantto the said brush and having its discharge end tilted upwardly, a valve for closing the said pipe, and means'carried by 4the door to coperate with the said valve for opening or closing the valve upon a corresponding movement of the door, the tilted extremity of the said pipe being adapted to cut. olf the How of disinfectant at the discharge end thereof immediately upon the closing of the said Valve. i

"U, A device of the character described in- 'ciuding spaced supporting posts, brush carrying plates rotatably mounted thereon, complemental sets of brushes carried by the said plates for rotation lin a co-mmon plane thereby, and a brush mounted to rotate in a plane at substantially right angles to the plane of mentioned brushes and connecting the said plates for simultaneous rotation, the brushes off said sets being movable radially With respect to the axes of rotation of the said plates across the face of said last mentioned brush.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OLAF HOSTAD. [L. s.] 

